The PUE5 Tube is a discontinued Ibanez multi-effects unit with a tube preamp, produced from 1989 to 19921. It sat at the top of Ibanez's PUE5 family of multi-effects units, alongside the standard guitar PUE5 and the bass-oriented PUE5B, and it has never been reissued123. A 1990 Ibanez catalog page covering the PUE5 series survives, which places all three units in the company's lineup at the turn of the decade13.
The PUE5 family
The PUE5 Tube was one of three related units Ibanez sold in the same period. The standard PUE5 was the guitar multi-effects unit, the PUE5B was the bass version, and the PUE5 Tube added a tube preamp to the formula. All three share the same 1989 to 1992 production window123.
| PUE5 | PUE5B | PUE5 Tube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Guitar Multi Effects | Bass Multi Effects | Multi-effects with tube preamp |
| Production | 1989 to 1992 | 1989 to 1992 | 1989 to 1992 |
| List price (1991) | 699 DM | not given | 895 DM |
| Collectibility | Average | Hardest to come by of the series | High |
| Reissued | No | not given | No |
The 1991 list prices show the tube version carried a premium: 895 DM against the standard PUE5's 699 DM, a difference of 196 DM between the two12.
TONEHOME describes the PUE5B as a unit that "does not only a good job with bass guitars but with any six-string as well," despite its name3. The same page notes that "it is the hardest to come by of the whole PUE5-series, but it's worth it"3.
For a player comparing the three today, the practical difference is what each was built for and how easy each is to find. TONEHOME rates the standard PUE5's collectibility as average and the PUE5 Tube's as high, while the PUE5B is the scarcest of the series123. All three belong to the wider family of multi-effects units, a category that has since moved from rack-era designs like these to the modern floor processors listed on that page.
What happened to it
Ibanez discontinued the PUE5 Tube in 1992, the year production of the whole PUE5 series ended, and the company has never brought it back12. TONEHOME rates the unit's collectibility as high and its availability on the secondhand market as good, meaning players who want one can expect to find examples with some patience1. The site also periodically lists rare vintage Ibanez pedals for sale, which is one place secondhand examples surface1.
The PUE5 Tube was never re-issued, and neither was the standard PUE5. Any unit on sale today is secondhand or vintage stock12.
Documentation
TONEHOME hosts downloadable manuals for the whole family on its product pages, which matters for a unit this age since paperwork rarely travels with a secondhand purchase123:
Videos
Budda Guedes
Александр Голицын
Fares Junior
